The Kingsmen Quartet will be featured at Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, February 13, at 6:00 p.m.
Since 1956, The Kingsmen Quartet that began in the mountains in western North Carolina has blessed many with their Christian music. Many artists have been a part of this great group of which eight have been inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. This group continues to help define the Southern Gospel genre for a whole new generation of music lovers. In the mid-fifties Brothers Raymond, Reese, and Louis McKinney formed a gospel group that traveled throughout the western part of the Carolinas.
In the early 70’s, area natives Eldridge Fox and Ray Dean Reese joined this quartet and in 1974 released their first live recording, “Big & Live”. This album won the Dove Award in gospel music. This group traveled with a live band.
Their music has continued to evolve throughout the years. In 1981, “Excuses” became the Kingmen’s biggest hit of that era as it was number one for 18 months that made it the longest running number one song in Southern Gospel Music history.
The Kingsmen have been truly blessed and have had many opportunities. In 1977, The Kingsmen performed on the south lawn of the White House for President Jimmy Carter and in 1982 they performed at the opening ceremony of the World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN with President Ronald Regan present to open the fair. The Kingsmen was also the first group to film and record a live performance at the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and in 2000 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame followed by the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
They’ve won many dove awards and numerous Singing News Fan awards including favorite bass vocalist, tenor, baritone, lead, instrumentalist, video, the 1992 favorite song “Wish You Were Here” as well as favorite album by the same name featuring popular vocalist, Tim Surrett, male quartet of the year, and group of the year. The Kingsmen band was voted favorite band a record 17 times making this quartet one of the most awarded groups in Southern Gospel Music.
The Kingsmen look forward to seeing people saved.
Today the Kingsmen consist of 2008 hall of fame inductee, Ray Dean Reese, Brandon, Chris Jenkins, Chris Bryant, & Alan Kendall.